The Innocents Abroad · Chapter
XVI explained
The narrator describes the grandeur of Versailles, its vast park, palaces, and fountains, contrasting it with the poverty and revolutionary spirit of the Faubourg St.
What happens
The narrator describes the grandeur of Versailles, its vast park, palaces, and fountains, contrasting it with the poverty and revolutionary spirit of the Faubourg St. Antoine in Paris. He reflects on Louis XIV's extravagant creation, Napoleon III's urban planning, and the decay of royal relics.
Themes in this chapter
The Past vs. the Present
Contrasts the opulent past of Versailles with its current decay and the poverty of modern Paris.
Satire of Tourism
The narrator's awe at Versailles and his humorous reflections on its scale and history.
Colonialism and Otherness
Reference to Napoleon III's victim Maximilian in Mexico and the 'savage-looking ruffians' of the Faubourg.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Describes his impressions of Versailles and the Faubourg St. Antoine.
- Jack
Implied as part of the group touring Versailles.
- The Doctor
Implied as part of the group touring Versailles.
- Dan
Implied as part of the group touring Versailles.
- Young George
Implied as part of the group touring Versailles.
Key passages
“Versailles! It is wonderfully beautiful! You gaze and stare and try to understand that it is real, that it is on the earth, that it is not the Garden of Eden—but your brain grows giddy, stupefied by the world of beauty around you, and you half believe you are the dupe of an exquisite dream.”
Versailles is so stunningly beautiful that it feels unreal, like a dream or the Garden of Eden.
The narrator expresses overwhelming awe at the beauty of Versailles.
“He took a tract of land sixty miles in circumference and set to work to make this park and build this palace and a road to it from Paris. He kept 36,000 men employed daily on it, and the labor was so unhealthy that they used to die and be hauled off by cartloads every night.”
Louis XIV created the vast park and palace of Versailles using 36,000 workers daily, many of whom died from the unhealthy conditions.
Highlights the human cost of Louis XIV's extravagant project.
“Up these little crooked streets they will murder a man for seven dollars and dump the body in the Seine.”
In the narrow, winding streets of the Faubourg St. Antoine, murder is cheap and common.
Describes the lawlessness and poverty of the district.